I had a great time seeing Vedora last night at Radio Bean. Friday is my Monday, so having them go on at midnight was the worst possible scenario, But, since bending time and space is apparently my new specialty, I figured out a path and made it to the show.

I arrived just before 12 as the previous band was tearing down. They took lots of time and Vedora took a bit of time to set up, so it was 12:30 when the opening notes of Promises lit the room. They filled the next 90 minutes with their gorgeous pop songs that really rock. They have rearranged Maria and In The Pines, and they rock nicely. The bulk of the set was newer songs, many of which I’m really starting to like. Caroline O’Connor‘s bass playing drove the songs nicely. Her voice was lovely as always. Matthew Hastings singing was gruff and tough and his guitar work was the usual grandiose workout. The guy just looks like he loves to rip it up, and I love hearing him do it. Drummer Ian Moodie added lots of fills that helped drive the songs and everything sounded great. Late in the set they brought Matt’s brother James to the stage to play bass, while Caroline grabbed the sax for Careless Whisper. I’m not a fan of the song, but do love hearing Caroline on the horn. After that they went back to the rock, and the third to last song was something really special. Whatever it was, it rocked super hard and had me in a state of bliss.

The packed hose at the beginning of the set slowly dwindled and Vedora played two more, wrapping up as the clock turned to 2am.

In the end I had to put a lot of effort to get to the show, and every bit of it was heavily rewarded!